Pawprints
by Vee123
Summary: Cat's story, if you haven't read Family Reunion, it's recommended but not necessary to understand. Cat's the head of Gourmet Island, and she's invited the main cast of Toriko to join her. Food, pretty girls, cute guys, family, duty, emotions and secrets clash on Gourmet Reserve! ZeburaxCat
1. Chapter 1

Vee: Pleeeease don't hate me I've been busy beyond all reasonable belief. AP classes are rapidly making me realize college is going to suck ass. Anyways, here's chapter 1 of Pawprints! Cat's story will be first, and the Ari's, I promise!

Ari: Why the hell am I second?

Cat: Yay chapter 1 of my story!

Ari: Screw you Vee.

Cat: Vee does not and does not claim to have created any characters, places, or situations mention in here that were borrowed from Toriko. Only the storyline presented here and her own characters (Ari, Cat, etc.) are hers. Thank you for reading!

All: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

"Hey, make sure you feed Specimen 12. Lissa, can you get the phones? And Quin, where's my clipboard?" Cat shouted over the noise of the busy room.

"Beside your desk," Quin replied, "And Toriko and his friends are set to arrive in an hour. Is everything ready?"

"Yeah, I made all the food, and Daruis sent the ship's captain the final set of instructions over the radio a few minutes ago," Cat said, grabbing her clipboard and flipping through it. She glanced up as an intern hurried towards her, waving a few sheets of paper.

"Doctor Cat! The Rainbow Tiger had her cubs about ten minutes ago. Six, all healthy, two males and four females. They're in room B-12. Also, the Flying Lizards were released on time into jungle region A-9," the intern said hurriedly.

"Ahh," she said, making a few marks on her papers, "And those papers in your hand, what're they about?"

"These're the report on those DNA samples we got from IGO's Guormet World team. Darius said you'd want to look at them," the intern replied.

"Okay, thank you," Cat said. Turning to Quin, she asked, "You think you and Darius can handle things here? I've got to finish up the dinner preparations and change. Plus, I really should check up on Viper."

"Of course. It's not as busy as its been since we had to lay off most of our help anyways. Darius will be assisting me while you're busy with your brother and other guests, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for doing that, by the way. I'm glad I can rely on you guys," Cat said, handing her clipboard to Quin.

"It's our job, doctor," Quin replied, walking away.

Cat strode out of the labs, checking on things as she went. Stepping outside, she paused for a second to enjoy the sunlight on her skin. It promised to be a beautiful day, even though it was only 10 o'clock. The waves created a whoosh whoosh sound as they crashed against white sand, and the sea scented wind rustled the palm leaves above her head. Ah, she was so lucky to get to work on a tropical island.

Walking across the sand, she saw the immense length of the world's only known Viper Dragon lounging in the sun. His black scales reflected the sun, and the huge eyelids were shut. As she came closer, he lazily opened one eye and yawned.

"Hey big guy. You enjoying the sun?" she asked, patting his neck.

"Yes," his voice whispered through her mind, "The warmth makes me want to waste the day with sleeping, however."

He rose to his feet, stretching out all of his impressive eighty foot length. He was shaped somewhat like a snake with four legs and huge wings, with an impressive hundred foot wingspan. Black all over, his head was surprisingly angular, with sharp horns curving out behind his head. A row of spikes ran down his back, with an elongated diamond shaped one at the very tip. Viper dragons are surprisingly intelligent creatures, perhaps even more so than a human, with the ability to communicate mind to mind with any animal. Unfortunately, at the age of thirty, he was the last of a dying race, as no mate had been found for him.

"In fact, I may go take a look at your brother and his companions. From your memories, they seem to be fascinating people... Especially that red haired one, what was his name... Zebura?" Viper's voice ran through her mind, and she imagined that if fire had a voice, it would be like his.

"Geez, could you quit bringing him up! Just because his scent caught my attention, you haven't shut up about him since I returned," she said grumpily.

With a sound somehow reminiscent of laughter in his chest, Viper replied, "That is because you compared it to a male animal's. You reveled it. Musky, did you not say? Exquisitely male?"

Turning red, Cat said, "Oh shut up you."

Laughing all the harder, Viper launched himself into the air gracefully, flying higher and higher, then abruptly turning towards the ocean and flying towards the incoming boat. Farther off, he dove into the ocean, disappearing with a splash.

"Crazy dragon," Cat murmured. It was, however, true that Zebura's scent had been strangely captivating. But as a human, she would ignore that. She'd heard a lot about the Four Heavenly King's Zebura, and wanted no part of him. A delinquent type, rough and destructive, well known for wiping out species, quick to anger and to take offense. Of course, all four Heavenly Lings had reputations for being strong.

Coco is a poison expert, supposedly even capable of turning his body to poison. Despite this, he has a reputation as the kindest and calmest of the four, and, although friendly, he seems to prefer to be alone. Also, the girls love him.

Sani is obsessed with himself, quite the narcissist. He uses his hair as a weapon, and is in constant pursuit of health foods. He's friendly enough, but has a habit of calling things either beautiful or unbeautiful. Also has a little sister, Rin.

Toriko uses himself as a weapon, plus knife and fork, like her father. He's super friendly with just about anyone, and has a reputation for eating anything he can get his hands on. He hates anyone who wastes food, and has two sisters, Ari and Cat.

These were the people coming to Guormet Island. The Heavenly Kings, plus one guest each.

Cat was actually pretty worried about this. If they spoke to any reporters about this island, they might be in for trouble. So many rare animals, rumored to have fantastical flavors or properties called this island home, that it would be a magnet for all of the worst kinds of Bishokuya.

She walked along the beach, soaking in the sun, before reaching her main home. It was modern, with spacious rooms and an open, airy feel. Rare and beautiful plants grew around the outside, a color filled bouquet, and more grew inside. It was also huge and very lavishly decorated, as she often entertained important people here. Entering, she walked through the elegant greeting hall, up the huge, red carpeted stairs, and took a right to the dining room. Up the left side of the stairway, her guest's rooms were prepared. She walked through the spacious room into one of her favorite rooms in the house. The kitchen was full of all the smells of dinner. She'd done her best, but was entirely sure it was nowhere near as fancy as her chefs would have prepared. These chefs, however, had been fired once money got tight. They were unnecessary luxuries. Nowadays, she prepared the food herself.

Luckily she was at least a decent chef. She checked all of the dishes before being satisfied everything would survive another few minutes without supervision. She hurried back to her room, which was located at the very back of the house, accessible either through a secret door in the kitchen or at the end of the hallway off of the left stairway.

It was massive, with a huge, four poster bed pushed up against the east wall, a deep brown wood covering the floor, and deep blue walls. The thing she enjoyed most about the room, however, was that the wall facing the door was entirely glass, through which she could see the ocean.

Stretching, she grabbed her clothes and changed. A shimmering gold cloth covered her chest, leaving her stomach uncovered, and a dark blue, semi-sheer skirt flowed down to midway down her calves, with a slit up one side. Gold jewelry clicked together musically all over her body. Nervously, she tugged on her hoop earrings. Too much? Too little? She wasn't sure if she should try to impress them with a formal dress, or try to understate her position here. And should she try to impress.. What on earth was she thinking? She only wanted to impress her brother, not that red-haired delinquent!

Turning, she swept out of her room, and checked the food again, quite deliberately not thinking about him. Glancing up, she saw that her brother was due in a few minutes, so she quickly got the food on the table. When she next looked up, she saw that her brother was already supposed to have arrived.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, running out the door.

"She's late, but then again, so are they," Quin remarked.

"Ah, give her a break. She's got a lot on her plate, what with funding and all," Darius said.

"We're all having trouble. I just hope these people get out of here before she, or they do anything stupid," Quin sighed, "I mean, Bishokuya, here? Especially these four! Next thing you know, she'll be inviting reporters here!"

"Quin, it's fine. You need to loosen up," Darius replied, leaning on a palm tree.

"And you need to be more serious," she snapped.

"And together we balance each other out," he shot back, silencing her.

The boat came slowly into view, and Cat was still nowhere to be seen. When it was only a few minutes from docking, Darius pointed off into the distance and said, "See, what'd I tell you."

Every few seconds, a plume of sand flew into the air. Within ten seconds, Cat stood in front of them, skirt and hair flying behind her.

"I see they're already here," she commented.

"You're late, doctor," Quin replied crisply.

"Or, one could say you're just on time," Darius said, yawning.

As the boat came in to dock, Cat spotted a long, dark shape trailing behind it. She mentally reminded herself to introduce them to Viper as soon as possible.

Coco and Sani were the first ones to step down onto the dock, followed by two women, and in the background Toriko and Sani were facing off, with Konatsu attempting to play mediator.

"You cocky bastard, I'm going to be the one who captures the rarest ingredient!" Zebura snarled. Cat's heart did a weird twist as she heard his voice, and for the first time in a long time, she felt the need to cover her mostly exposed body. No! No man could have this power over her!

"Ehh?! You're joking, me and Komatsu are going to get it!" Toriko shouted.

"H-Hey, could you guys just calm down..." Komatsu said weakly.

Zebura threw the first punch, but Toriko was quick to retaliate. Their fist fight was the backdrop to Cat 'a greetings to Coco and Sani.

"Hello, Heavenly Kings Coco and Sani. And who are these two?" Cat inquired.

"Hi! I'm Sani's sister, Rin, and this's Tina!" Rin exclaimed.

"Hello, I'm Tina! I'm a reporter for Guormet News! It's so nice of you to invite us all!" Tina exclaimed.

Cat, Darius, and Quin all froze at her introduction. Cat quickly put on a smile and replied, "It's great to meet you guys. I am Toriko's sister, Doctor Cathrine, also known as Cat. And I welcome you all to Gourmet Reserve."

Thanks for reading!  
Next chapter will be out in a week!


	2. Chapter 2

Her guests trailing behind, Cat showed them to her house. "Here, we have the main house, where I entertain guests and live myself. Please, try to avoid wrecking it like the boat, you two," she said sarcastically, glaring daggers at Toriko and Zebura, both of whom ignored her.

Toriko sniffed the air and said, "Ahh I smell food!"

"Yes, please, this way," she said, guiding them into the dining hall.

At each seat, she had set a food prepared specifically for each person. For the girls and Sani, health foods found only on this island, specific to the kind of environment she had created. Toriko and Zebura each had the largest animal she was capable of cooking waiting for them, and, since she knew so little about Coco's preferences, she had done her best at preparing several poison dishes she thought he would enjoy.

After the meal, she said, "Okay. Since this is, technically speaking, an official IGO controlled environment, there are a few rules. One, you must wear these watches wherever you go. They're tracking devices, equipped with emergency flares, a communications device, several antidotes to common poison, and an animal identification device, among other things. These are essential. While I will not toss you out of this place, you will be restricted to the beach and this house if you refuse to wear it.

I know you're hoping to find rare foods here, and I'm not going to stop you, but you must check your watch first. Green light means go ahead, red means not unless you want me to personally execute you. Also, there are a few places you should not enter, for your own sakes."

Each of them grabbed their watches and examined them. First Coco, then Toriko, then the girls and Komatsu all put them on. The light on the watch lit up bright  
green as it attached to their wrists. Zebura looked downright surly, and Sani held his watch at arms length. "It's so unbeautiful! Don't you have anything else?" he protested.

"No, we do not. As I said, you may choose not to wear it, but you will be restricted. If the tracker worries you, then know that I will be the only one to see your position."

"Ugh," he said, shuddering as he out it around his wrist.

"Don't get cocky, no one can stop me from doing whatever the hell I want," Zebura growled.

"Want to bet?" Cat replied, "And unlike the others, I will not allow you to remain if you do not agree. You're dangerous, Zebura."

"Hmph," he said, snapping the watch on.

The knot of tension in Cat's stomach loosened. She hadn't been sure that she was capable of forcing Zebura and the rest to do anything they didn't want to, and was glad no one had really resisted.

"Great! How about the grand tour?" she asked.

Outside, she led them down to the beach just outside the house. She let out a piercing whistle, and waited, hands on hips.

A minute passed, then two. She heard the people behind her muttering, probably wondering what on earth she was doing. Then, from high above, a loud roar pierced the salty air. Viper dove from where he'd been circling, landing heavily on the sand behind them. He shook his head, then shoved his face in Toriko's, eying him.

Toriko froze, and everyone held their breath. Finally, Viper snorted, yawned, and curled up.

"As he seems disinclined to introduce himself, this is Viper. He's the last known Viper Dragon. As you'll notice, your watches should all have a blinking red light on them. That means that under no circumstances are you allowed to harm this animal. If it attempts to harm you, run and push this blue light over here," Cat explained.

Viper's voice raced through their minds. "You smell much like your sisters, Toriko of the Heavenly Kings. I welcome you and your brothers to this island. Your guests are welcome as well... Try not to break everything."

A moment of shocked silence was broken by Komatsu, who shrieked, "It-It talks!?"

Viper hissed and shoved Komatsu back with his muzzle, "He, you impudent twit! I am male, and furthermore a Viper Dragon, not a beast!"

"He forgot to add incredibly vain and prideful,"Cat piped up.

Viper snorted and laid his head back on the sand. Cat patted his side and said, "He's actually an incredible specimen. We found him as an egg on an illegal shipment of Guormet World animals. We also got Snow Leopards and Deep Sea Divers from that one. You have no idea how confused we were when he hatched! Everyone thought his kind were extinct."

"I've heard of them, certainly. But-" Coco's question was  
interrupted by a sudden explosion from the direction of the labs.

"Stay here,"Cat growled, taking off with Flash Step towards the lab. She arrived to find several of the breeding pairs of Sparerib Cattle stampeding. Quin ran up to her, panicked.

"Something's spooked them,"Quin shouted, "And we can't figure out what!"

Cat snarled and strode forward. "You numbskull, they aren't capable of causing this much damage! Something else did it."

Toriko and the other Heavenly Kings ran up, and Toriko shouted, "Cat, we're here to help!"

"This is my job,"Cat growled, "And you're guests."

Taking a quick damage check, she decided that the stampeding animals were more of a priority. She lept onto the back of the nearest one and wrapped her hands around it's horns. Pulling and kicking, she managed to guide it into a new padlock. She barely managed to repeat this maneuver with another beast, and had just  
jumped off, panting, when she saw her brother riding another beast. Shocked, she looked around to see Coco and Sani also riding the cattle, Sani protesting the unbeatifulness of the whole thing the entire time. Laughing, she lept onto a new animal and, together, they got the animals back under control.

She slammed the gate shut and turned to see Tina zooming into her face with her camera. "Ohh what a scoop!" Tina was shouting, waving the damned camera everywhere.

Cat stepped forward to deal with the idiot, but was interrupted by Darius's voice. "I believe I've found our culprit, doctor." His cold voice told her she wasn't going to like what she was about to see.

Turning, she beheld Darius, who had one of their newest and most talented recruits by the collar. He was sputtering and objecting, but guilt was written all over his face. Oh gods, Cat thought, what'll we do if we can't trust our trainees?

Darius shoved his captive to his knees at her feet. In a voice colder than ice, he said, "I found him trying to get off the island. There was a string of bombs around several of the habitats containing more dangerous animals in the labs, and a few of our other trainees found and disabled more in the outdoor ones. Twenty total. If any of those had gone off, we'd be overrun with the most dangerous creatures on this reserve."

Cat ground her teeth together, then turned and took several deep breaths.

Ahh, she thought, this's bad. A reporter and a traitor, all in one day. The problem was, this wasn't an easy fix. A large part of her advocated shoving him into a place they called Dragon's Den, where the six animals that even she dared not deal with dwelt, but the other part reminded her of the laws about things like that. "So. Louis. Care to explain yourself?"

He jerked back at the sound of her voice, then blabbered, "T-they were  
going to pay me! You damned fools give us a salary that barely covers living expenses! Ever since the budget-" his voice suddenly cut off as Darius kicked him in the back of the head.

Grabbing him by the hair, Darius hauled him up and roared in his face, "You impudent, ungrateful jackass! You don't have to pay living expenses! We pay for all of those from our budget! And how do you repay us? With shit like this!"

"Darius!" Cat shouted, "Calm yourself!" His skin was beginning to look strange, as though it was a blurry mirage, as it always did when he was angry. He stopped speaking and dropped Louis, breathing hard.

"You're on the next boat home, Louis. You will never be able to get another job with any IGO related company, and some of your memories of this place will be removed. Jake, take him to the docks and ensure that he stays there. Darius, go and calm down. I'll need a verbal report in about an hour. Quin, start organizing clean up," Cat said. Turning to her brother and other guests, she apologized. "I'm sorry that this had to happen while you were here. I'll work on- WHERE'S ZEBURA?!"

Toriko and the others looked around and shrugged. Coco said, "I don't believe he followed us here. Of course, Komatsu and Rin are with him. Perhaps they can control his more destructive tendencies."

"Oh gods," Cat moaned, "What'll I do?"

Toriko grinned and slapped her on the back. "We'll keep track of him for you, sister. How about we hang out on the beach while you fix this?"

"I'm sorry that this had to happen while you're here... Would you mind just hanging out on the beach very much?"

"Oh no, we have to relax on a tropical a beach with a giant talking dragon. Darn, that sucks," Toriko said sarcastically, "Just get your work done, we'll be fine."

"Thank you," she said, hurrying off to the lab.

Quin was there, organizing people into three groups. "Group one, you'll check on the Sparerib Cattle. Make sure none of them were hurt. Group two, check on the other animals and ensure that they're safe. Ground three, you'll be here with me, patching up this hole."

Satisfied that Quin had things at the lab handled, Cat went off to check the island. Despite Darius's quick thinking in getting the interns to disable the bombs, she wasn't sure that they had found them all. Based on where they'd found the others, and on the motives behind the explosives, she made a list of the most likely places for him to have placed them. Using Flash Step, she reached the first ten relatively quickly, and found two. These she disabled, noticing the specific smell of the things. They were composed of mostly ingredients that couldn't be found on the island, which would make her search easier. She visited the next twenty possible sites, and found another five. Along the  
way, however, she found five others by scent that she would not have found otherwise.

Okay, she thought, Darius found twenty. I found twelve... But that gives me no idea how many they might have placed! Growling to herself, she again used Flash Step to reach the highest point of the reserve, a dormant volcano of some twenty thousand feet. Drawing a deep breath, she found only one source of the foul smell, coming straight from Dragon's Den. Furious, she clenched her fists. That imbecile would have threatened the entire world had he released them! The beasts of the human world who posed a threat to those of the Guormet World-the Six Demons!

As fast as she could, she ran to their enclosure. It lay at the center of the island, an immense cage of solid stone divided into six parts, with a diameter of one mile. The entire thing was ringed with bombs, set about twenty feet apart. Cat rendered them ineffective as quickly as possible, but by the time she reached the final one, it was beeping a countdown. She only just barely stopped it from exploding. Panting, she leaned against the wall. She'd barely made it, but her island was safe. She shuddered to think what would have happened if these monsters had been released. They weren't called demons for nothing; they were said to even out rank the Four Beast. One was entirely poisonous gas, so toxic it could kill at a miles distance by simply breathing. Another tore through entire armies in seconds with its blade covered body, one other was said to be able to cross entire oceans in seconds, and kill everything within miles on the way. One was immortal, and another could melt any substance and turn creatures to stone with a look of its eyes. The last, and most dangerous, was supposedly a being who could command any animal to do its bidding. Including humans. These creatures could not be released into the world again. In truth, the only reason they were not still rampaging through the planet was that the most powerful sleeping gas humanity could create kept them asleep. And this fool had almost released them!

She sat down and leaned against the stone, breathing deeply. Flash Step required extreme concentration and insane amounts of energy, and she was completely worn out. She was digging through her bag when she heard steps coming towards her from the surrounding forest. Leaping to her feet, she saw Zebura emerge from behind the trees.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, flopping back down and digging through her bag again.

"I'm hungry," was his explanation.

"Geez. Didn't Toriko and the others ask you to stay at the beach?" Cat asked.

"Did you think they could force me to stay?" he responded.

"I guess not," she sighed, pulling out a bag from her pack. She opened it and downed the contents. It was a special mix of nuts, fruit, and granola that contained  
approximately 20,000 calories per bag. Since most of her moves required insane amounts of energy, Merlin had taught her how to make this so she would never run out of energy in the midst of a battle.

As she ate, Zebura walked up to the stone enclosure and inspected it. "What is this thing?" he growled.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to try and break in?" Cat asked grumpily.

He growled and said, "Cocky bastard."

Taking that as acceptance, Cat said, "It's a cage for the most dangerous creatures humanity's ever seen."

Zebura grinned and said, "Perfect." Clenching his hand, he prepared to punch the wall in.

"Stop!" Cat screamed, grabbing his hand. He glared at her, but refrained from hitting her.

"It took ten of the strongest men and women of their age to subdue these creatures, and even then three of them died. If you unleash these monsters there's no telling what  
they'll do!"

"They sound like damned cocky bastards. Don't they have some sort of title or something?"

"Aye. Together, they're called the Six Demons."

"Never heard of them," he said.

"That's like saying that you've never heard of Guormet World! Anyways, these guys are quite literally the single most dangerous creatures on the face of this planet. I'm begging you, don't try to fight them!" Cat pleaded.

He growled and moved away from the wall. "Fine. What's for dinner?"

What on earth was wrong with him? Cat wondered. He was behaving even more sporatically than her reports had led her to believe he would! And, of course, she hadn't even started thinking about a meal, yet alone begun one. Please let Quin have thought of this already, she thought.

Zebura had walked away from the stone barricades and was walking towards the tree line. When he reached it, however, he paused and looked at her. "What, you're not coming?" he growled.

"Oh! Of course," she said, baffled. Was he being.. friendly?

The walk back made her reconsider her previous thought. She stammered into the awkward silence, trying to engage him in a conversation, and received only one or two words in return. It was a relief to finally reach the beach. They ate together (Zebura, who had disappeared, came in for just long enough to knock the door off the hinges, devour most everything on the table, then disappear once more) and then Cat showed them to their rooms, ensuring that everyone was where they were supposed to be before heading to the labs.

Quin and Darius were already seated when she entered. Sitting down next to them, she sighed. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Darius grumbled.

"After you left, we cleared most of the debris. None of the Sparerib Cattle were harmed seriously, just a few cuts, and the other animals were just spooked, not hurt. We found a few more of their bombs, however," Quin reported.

Cat stretched out and growled, "Those damned bombs almost got everyone on this planet killed. He placed a ring of them around the Demon's cage. It wouldn't have been enough to bust the cages, but it might have woken them up or weakened the walls enough that they would collapse if the creatures inside brushed against them. Also, I found quite a few others scattered around."

Darius shook his head and sighed. "What was Louis thinking? They would've killed everyone here in an instant and then gotten him. Fucking idiot."

"I'd rather know what his employer was thinking. And who they are," Quin added.

"Well, part of the who is obvious," Cat pointed out, "It must be the Bishokukai. Much like Zebura, they seem to think that they're not affected by what happens to the rest of the world."

"Yeah. Who knows why, though," Darius said, yawning.

"We're all exhausted. Let's get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow," Cat said.

"Not quite yet, Cat," Quin said quietly. Darius straightened and looked at her seriously. Shit, she thought.

"That woman. Tina. What on earth is she doing here? She's a reporter! There's nothing more dangerous for this island than publicity!" Quin said.

"I get that! But how was I supposed to know that they would invite her?" Cat objected.

"You should've sent her off this island the second she started waving that camera around! And if you won't do it tomorrow, then I will!" Quin shouted.

In a deadly serious voice, Cat said, "I am in charge here. I will decide who stays and who goes. Unless you're questioning my authority on this island?"

"I am not. I am questioning your sanity!" Quin left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Darius came up from behind Cat and said, "You know that most of the time I would say she went overboard. Well, this time, I agree with her." Then he too left the room, leaving Cat to slump in her seat and put her head in her hands, wondering if she could not balance her family and her duty.


	3. Chapter 3

Rising the next morning, she went straight to the labs. No one else was up, so she began to write up the report on the insistent yesterday. Two hours later, an intern knocked on the door and came in with breakfast.

"Ma'am? What do you want us to do with your guests?" she asked timidly.

Sighing, Cat said, "Ask them to spend today at the beach as well. Zebura won't listen, but the rest might. If they want, you can get them a tour guide, but have them keep to guest areas one and two. Tell Komatsu he has full access to the kitchen if he wants."

"Yes, doctor," was her reply. The intern slipped back out the door, and Cat went back to finishing her report. After, she organized her desk and other papers, tossing those she no longer required, filing away those she did. Around lunch time, Quin entered the room, stiff and formal.

"We've finished reconstructing the walls. Doctor, we need you to guide the cattle back into their habitat," Quin said, cold and distant.

Nodding, Cat went outside and wrestled the stubborn things into their habitat. Darius helped her, but rejected all attempts at reconciliation on her part. Gods! These two were impossible! It wasn't as though she could force Zebura and Tina off the island, and besides, Tina had been respecting the no camera zones once they were pointed out to her.

Lunch, then she was called on to help with two mammal beasts who were delivering their offspring, which had her running from one room to the other. The Ice Bear had what seemed an unusually hard time of it, but both she and her five cubs emerged from the birthing fine. The other birth was easier but more prolonged. Panting and covered in sweat, Cat went to take a shower before heading back to find the Bear's condition had worsened while she'd been gone. A prolonged struggle ensued, Cat barking orders at Darius and Quin, who behaved twice as stubbornly as usual. Hours later, the beast's contition was again stable and she set an irritated Quin on supervision duty. She ran back to the main house, and found, thankfully, that Komatsu had already served a dinner he'd made, and that most of her guests were settled for the night.

Once again to the labs, where she roared at a terrified intern whom Quin had left in her place. Furious, she'd gone to find Quin, but been unable to locate either her or Darius. Screaming and cursing, she'd managed to kick in a wall, which luckily led only to an unused room. Fuming, she'd checked on the other animals, who shrunk away at the feeling of her Intimidation trying to break loose. She left a more experienced intern in charge of the Ice Bear, with strict instructions to call her on her private, emergencies only phone. She left the labs furious and with a deep and abiding desire to break something, which she exercised on several nearby trees.

After dealing with a sulking Quin and a gruff, unapologetic Darius all day, she was in no mood to deal with her guests. Let those two try to handle that jackass and his fucking attitude, and that bitch with the camera too. Cocky! If she heard that word one more time, she'd scream! She wanted to run. Instead of heading back to the house, which she knew she should, she turned into the forest.

Slowly at first, then faster and faster, her legs stretching out, she ran. Then, reaching out, she grabbed hold of a branch. Swinging, she raced through the treetops, leaping from limb to limb. Racing away from her responsibilities and everything that annoyed her. Laughter bubbled up out of her mouth, and she let it. Shouting, laughing, she raced around the forests, trees to ground to flying leaps through the air. She raced past the huge, deep blue lakes, ran through gently sloping hills, breezed through meadows where sweet grass, crushed under her feet, released it's intoxicating, sweet smell. When she finally landed, it was with a much lighter heart. She was in her territory now, where no beast dared tred, and, even better, no human being knew of its existence aside from herself. A sheer rockslide was broken by what looked like barely a crack in the stone. It was only if you approached it from the right angle that you saw it was large enough to fit two people shoulder to shoulder. She entered her domain happily.

It was a natural cave, seperated into three sections by thick rock walls. In the entrance cave she had candles, food, water, and other supplies. One of the caves contained sleeping bags and clothes. Another had communications devices along with back-up generators and medical equipment. The final room actually opened to the outside just enough to sustain an immense tree in the center of the room, and the floor was carpeted with soft moss. She had set it up as a sleeping quarters, made her bed on an especially soft path of moss. It was like a fairy tale land, and she enjoyed every minute she spent there.

"No Darius! No Quin! No Zebura! No imbeciles with cameras!" she said to herself, flopping down on her bed and crossing her arms behind her head. Yes, this had been what she needed, her break from the outside world. Laying atop the moss, she breathed deeply, drawing in the smell of the place. Deep, earthy smells layered with the fresh smell of the forest above, and the musky scent of the animals dwelling nearby. Cat closed her eyes, and was content to just lay there for all eternity. Until she heard a snapping sound. Which wouldn't have alarmed her, except it was accompanied by the strangely animal scent she had come to recognize as Zebura's.

Without opening her eyes, she snarled, "Either the entire preserve is on fire, or the Six Demons are on a rampage. Because otherwise, you wouldn't have dared track me down, right?" Gods! Would this man ever cease in his pursuit to annoy her? Just smelling him made her body react!

Zebura pretended to ignore her, instead investigating the chamber. Cat, annoyed, got to her feet and stood there, clenching and unclenching her teeth, trying to ignore the voice in her head prompting her to tear him apart. Finally, he approached her, standing do that their chests almost touched, staring at her strangely. Then, of all things, he sat down where she'd been laying moments before.

Resigned to his presence, she also sat down. She leaned back as she had been before, trying to calm down. It wasn't really his fault that she didn't want him here. And it wasn't really him she was irritated with, anyways. She just really needed a break, but it'd been one thing after another recently.

"What is it about me that pisses you off, anyways?" his voice broke the silence, and she opened her eyes, surprised, to find him looking at her with that strange expression again.

Sighing, she replied, "It's not you. I've had a lot on my plate recently, and when you guys showed up, I started trying to tell myself I was irritated with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the IGO's cut some of our funding. We get about 10% less per year compared to before. We've also lost three ships and cargo to the Bishokukai, we believe as revenge for us stealing their ships. Viper is getting restless because he fears he's truely the last of his kind. Quin and Darius won't stop pestering me to send all of you packing because we can't handle more people being here right now. I have to dodge Gourmet Casino goons if I leave this island, and everyone here seems to expect me to be as brilliant as Richard, and I'm not. I hate filing paperwork, and never getting out of the lab is driving me mad. I still can't find Merlin, and I can't decide how I feel about... Toriko," she said. Most of it had been true, but the very last part. She was confused about how to treat her younger brother, but it was really Zebura who concerned her now. His presence put her mind and body on edge. He was dangerous, and unpredictable, and disrespectful, and he smelled too good and she wanted more than anything to pit her strength against his. But to say that would require more courage than she had.

Zebura merely looked at her throughout this tirade, letting her talk. Afterwards, he still reguarded her curiously. "And Zebura."

"Huh?" was her oh do elegant response.

"Earlier, that's what you said. That's why I asked," he said.

There was a long pause as Cat absorbed this information. His Hell Ears were formidable, if he could hear that from such a distance, and through solid stone.

Zebura was again the first to break the silence. "Merlin.. He was your teacher, right?"

"Yeah," she responded, wondering where he was going with this.

"Was he anything else to you?" he asked suddenly.

Sputtering, she stared at him in utter shock. Merlin? He was at least twenty years her senior! "I don't have any obligation to answer that, but no, he was not. For Pete's sake, he was at least forty!"

Silence reigned again, Zebura looking thoughtful and Cat staring up at him, still shocked. Without another word, he stood up and began to leave. Cat shot to her feet and grabbed his arm. "What the hell are you doing? I want some answers too! "

He glanced back at her a growled deep in his throat, but turned and sat once more.

"How did you find me?" Cat demanded, "No one else knows of this place, and Darius and Quin certainly wouldn't show you the way here."

"I heard you, and decided to follow," he growled, obviously not happy to be the one being chewed out now.

"Why haven't you gone back to the Six Demon's caves?" She'd gone back to check and found no new tracks or scents from Zebura.

"You asked me not to. My turn. Why do you keep those beasts alive?"

"Our job is preservation. A bit difficult if we start killing off our charges. Also, no one would be strong enough. Did you really wipe out all of those species because they were threatening people?"

"Maybe."

"No fair! You have to answer. I answered your question."

"Fine," he growled again, "I did."

"Hah! I knew you weren't a bad guy!"

He ignored that comment and said, "Why did you come here?"

"Because I needed a break from people in general. Why did you decide to follow me?"

"Because I was curious. Why don't you send us off the island?"

"Because I like having you guys here. It's not often we get guests. What was being in Honey Prision like?"

"Not all that bad, I got to test my strength while they threw whatever they could think up at me. Why does Viper want a mate?"

"He 's like a human in many ways... He's... lonely," she said, her voice breaking as she said that word, lonely. It contained so many emotions. She, too, was lonely. But she couldn't cure that, because all she was good at was hurting people. Death was her true trade, her weapons her very body, her every action causing unintended consequences.

"And you? Are you lonely?" his voice was soft, almost hesitant. Hesitation? From Zebura?

"Are you?" she responded, equally quiet, equally hesitant.

He didn't respond, but then again, neither did she. They both already knew the answer, even before asking the question.

It was Cat who got up first, a long, long time later. "I've got to get some sleep before tomorrow. You can stay if you want," she said, slipping out the door without waiting for a response. Outside, she walked back through the dark forest, peering through the canopy and the stars, and pondering the miracle of what had just occurred. She was calm again, when rages like that usually lasted for days at a time and left her insides feeling hollow, as though the anger was acid that ate through her a little more each time. Even stranger, she'd a real conversation with Zebura. At normal volume. She settled into her bed in the main house, and fell peacefully asleep not long afterwards.

Vee: WAHHH! And it's love

Cat: T_T Why didn't Ari go first

Ari: HAH! I'm suddenly glad I wasn't up to bat first.

Cat: I am NOT in love... .

Vee: Pshh I decide these things thank you very much.

Ari: Sooo, you're a dictator?

Vee: Only for fictional characters

Thank you for reading, PLEASE review?

Hey, you just read this,

So you know I'm crazy,

You're already here,

So review me maybe?


	4. Chapter 4

Vee: Hey you guys! I haven't really said much about Gourmet Reserve, so I'm going to introduce the island as best I can. It's just going to be short flashes from each environment, and if you'd like more details on any of them, message me and I'll post a chapter where we see more about that part. Review? Please?

Cat: Vee owns no characters borrowed from Toriko the anime. She did, however, create Cat, Ari, Quin, Darius, etc, in addition to Gourmet Reserve. Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Cat woke up slowly, not in any particular rush to get up. She slowly opened her eyes, and then it hit her. Oh my gods I said that to Zebura! She thought, freaking out. Oh my gods, oh no.. She knew she'd screwed up now. She'd had a heart to heart chat with... Arghh! Like she needed one more complication! She paced her room, trying to think of a way to solve her newest problem. Thirty minutes later, her only thought was that she'd fucked up. Sighing, she decided to put it off for a while. Walking downstairs, she saw all her guests seated at the dining room table. All of them. She looked at the back of his head, and felt her face getting hot. Oh my gods. I'm blushing, her mind shrieked at her. As if aware of her scrutiny, Zebura turned, and when their eyes met, Cat couldn't prevent herself from looking down with embarrassment. The meal went  
as it usually did, except that Cat said very little, and everyone noticed how Zebura kept glancing at her.

Cat made a snap decision to leave everything up to Darius and Quin, who, in her opinion, fully deserved whatever she decided to do. As everyone got up to go outside, she said, "So, how about a tour of the island? I bet you guys're getting bored of the beach by now!" Her sudden announcement was met with cheering from her guests.

Leading them outside, she pointed to a line of far off buoys, connected with rope, that ringed the entire island. "You guys probably noticed those on your way in. They're connected to emergency alarms in both the IGO main office and a room in the labs. If you ignore the ringing alarms, we set off minefields nearby. And Viper would probably go after the ship as well, if he felt like it."

Turning 180 degrees, she pointed inland and said, "We keep all of our animals here, however. The main house, where you're staying, is where I entertain any guests we may have. They're usually big cat investors who want us to research a specific breed, or who have funded explorations that discovered animals they have no use for. Everyone knows that it's illegal to consume, sell, or cook any ingredients on the endangered list, but, often as not, when you take an animal back from the Gourmet World, or even just places not many people go, you may take back an animal on the list without knowing. We do checks on all ingredients for free, and are even willing to send a representative to check your ingredients."

"Why free?" Komatsu asked.

"Because some people are imbeciles and they wouldn't bring in their ingredient to us if it cost anything," Cat answered.

Walking into the forested area near her house, she said, "Most of the animals here are easy to defeat  
and  
aren't incredibly rare. If they're in this section of the forest, we're  
planning on reintroducing them to their natural environments soon." She and her group went through the whole island, and she pointed out the ten different kinds of habitats on Gourmet Reserve.

*******************

"We have two different water sections, both surrounded on all sides by earth, one salt water, the other fresh water. I believe that the deepest the salt water goes is roughly nine miles, and the fresh water is about seven. We've got a huge range of water animals, and you should see those deep water ones, they're some strange looking suckers. We've got windows looking in on them all the way down, but you'll need special clearance to go below two miles in either one. Also, you'll need to take me, Quin, or Darius with you to see anything below five levels on either one, and I have to send in special requests with the IGO to let you into levels 9 or 7. I'll have to take you down there sometime. Oh, and don't swim in them, because I make no guarantees about what you will or will not run into."

************************

"We call this the meadow," she said, gesturing to a huge expanse of tall, flowing grasses. Here and there flowers popped up, and only a few low growing trees were scattered across the grass. Animals jumped and ran through the area, and it looked very peaceful. "We don't keep anything too rare or dangerous here, so feel free to hang out around here." A deep crimson head popped up from the grasses, a delicate snout and large gold eyes with slender, curly horns poking out from the fur.

*********************

Huge pines rose into the sky, mammoth branches reaching over their heads, a thick carpet of pine needled blanketing the ground. The smell of pine hung in the air, and the wood was full of the sounds of unseen animals. "Some animals do best in this environment, but we mostly keep this forest here for the tree species that will only grow in this environment. Mostly we only deal with animals, but we do some plant preservation as well. These trees are about three thousand years old. Of course, we do have some animals who thrive in the pine needles below your feet, especially bugs."

Tina shrieked and jumped into Toriko's arms. "B-Bugs?!"

Cat, laughing, said, "Don't worry, nothing's dangerous here. Each of these areas are divided into levels 1-9. Nine indicates that absolutely no one should enter, and even I used caution there. One means that you could walk through blindfolded and be fine. Tina, Rin, and Komatsu, I'm going to ask you guys to stick to one through two, three if you stick with one of the Heavenly Kings. Toriko, Coco, Sani, please restrain yourselves to one through six. There's also an area we call Dragon's Den. It is classified as level 100. That means you do not step foot there. I'll explain later, but I'm asking you to not go there. If you enter the area when I am not present, an alarm will be sent to the main house, the labs, and my watch. I will probably be forced to send you off of the island, so I'm going to ask you not to put me in that position."

******************

"Our rain forest contains the second most diverse selection of animals on the island, the first being the salt water lake," Cat informed them. Around the group, exotic and, in more than a few cases, colorful, trees and vines stretched towards the heavens. Animals raced through the tree tops above, and scuttling noises echoed around them. The air was perfumed with the scents of exotic flowers, and it was warm and extremely humid. A huge snake lounged on a tree nearby. Tina and Rin were edging away from it, but Cat knew that it was only a vine, which grew to appear as a snake as a form of protection.

"We've got some incredibly rare animals here. Unlike our deciduous forest, we have no idea how old this forest is, though we believe it to be the older of the two. Here, even the plants are dangerous. We've got Yellow Jacket Carnivorous Flytraps, watch out for those things. They're damn vicious! Oh, and Sani, there's a spring near here where a few mushrooms and species of mosses grow that would interest you, I believe."

*********************

A cool breeze blew at them from the mouth of the cave before them, at least thirty feet tall. Inside, it was even more cavernous, the ceiling reaching up to a hundred feet at sections. Hundreds of tunnels branched off from this main one, and many more from there. Huge stalagmites and stalactites covered the ceiling and parts of the floor, and other rock formations created magnificent natural statues throughout. Despite fourth years of hard work, they'd just barely scratched the surface of the complex web of tunnels inside.

"It's a vast network of caverns and tunnels. We've got hundreds of species of bat, including Black Vampire Bats, which can reach almost ten feet tall. Most of them don't leave the caves, but a few of them swarm over the island at night, and they keep down the bug population. Of course, there are a few species of animal that no one's seen before down there, so I'm going to ask you guys to stay out. You're not really in danger of getting lost, since your watches are programmed with all of the maps we've currently got of the place, but there's a reason we havent excavated the whole thing. It's not really dangerous until you get close to where the maps end, but please, just don't go in here."

********************

The vast expanse of sand before them seemed to stretch for miles. It was baking hot, and dry as a bone. Cacti were scattered off in the distance, and nothing stirred across the sands.

"We have a huge selection of desert wildlife, but they're all in hiding, waiting for the night, when it won't be as hot. I'm going to ask you to not go here as much either, but most people don't want to go here, considering the heat. It's blazing hot except for at night, so I suppose if you want a night time trek, this is a decent enough place. Tina, Rin, Komatsu, same rule as before, just no entry during the day. Toriko and the rest, same rule as the forests, and I recommend only going here at night, but if you pack enough, feel free to go in the daytime."

Pointing above them, she said, "You might have noticed that I've mentioned very few bird type beasts. This is because we consider those beasts to have their own area, the sky. They go just about everywhere, so we don't really say that they belong to any one area. We've got all of the breeds of Rainbow Pheonix, which I'm pretty darn proud of. Ari keeps her Azure Pheonix here."

********************

It was sunset as they neared the last major section of the island. In the distance, the clouds were deep red, vibrant purple, brilliant orange, fading into dark blue at the edges. The day was

Standing near where Zebura had entered the forest surrounding Dragon's Den, she gestured to the volcano near the center of the island. "Some breeds of animal thrive in conditions only found in mountain ranges or volcanoes, so that's what the volcano's for. I actually managed to find usable DNA and bring back Fire Salamanders, who dwell in the depths of that particular volcano."

Turning to her guests, serious, she gestured towards the forests and said, "This is Dragon's Den. It's a forest surrounding an immense stone cage, containing the most dangerous predators to ever stalk this earth. They're one of few Gourmet World animals here, mostly because investigations on Guormet World are done by private companies. They're collectively called the Six Demons. Poison, immortality, mind control, watery deaths, bodies made of blades, and glances that can petrify. These guys were taken down decades ago, by the strongest ten fighters of their time. But, they didn't kill them. We're not sure why, but they created the stone enclosure in front of us here, and locked them here. We use an insanely concentrated kind of knock out gas here. Basically, no one but me and four other people in the entire world can go in by ourselves. And I'm going to ask that none of you even come this close. I'm not going to take you on a trip there, because it's too dangerous. This's where all of our very worst animals live, trapped here by what is essentially an electric fence."

Cat turned, and began walking away from Dragon's Den. "Well, that's it for the tour, hope you enjoyed it." She wasn't really in the mood to guide everyone back, much less eat dinner with them, but as a host, it was her job, she supposed. She led the way back to the main house, and they sat down for dinner. Cat, unable to eat, picked at her food. She'd avoided looking Zebura all day, and continued it now. Too many questions, and she didn't know any of the answers. Excusing herself early, she went outside.

She supposed that, if she was honest with herself, she felt bad about abandoning Quin and Darius all day. She'd had plenty of reasons, but still. The sand shifted under her bare feet, the cold night air making her hair move as if it was alive. She breathed deep, chill air caressing her arms and flooding her lungs. She strode across the sand, headed for the labs.

Opening the door, she turned towards the medical facilities, absorbed in her own thoughts. She was paying almost no attention, and so had almost pushed open the door before hearing their voices. Slowly taking her hand off the handle, she paused. Should she go in or leave?

"I don't understand what's been wrong with Cat recently," Quin murmured, obviously trying not to wake the bear. Narrowing her eyes in anger, Cat decided that it was only fair to listen in to them if they were discussing her behind her back. She sat down beside the door, and pressed her ear to the wall.

Darius replied, "I think that, subconsciously, she's begun to realize that work and saving these creatures, in other words, doing things only for other people, isn't going to be enough for her own happiness."

"What do you mean?" Quin asked, "She devotes herself to this place, and she seems happy enough. What could she be missing?"

"Okay. So then do you consider Cat to be your friend?" Darius asked.

Quin hesitated, then said, "Well, I guess sort of. She's my boss, but we're friendly."

"But do you consider her your friend, or your boss?"

"I suppose I see her as my boss."

"That's what I mean. She has acquaintances, but  
no real  
friends. She loves these animals, but it's fair to say that most of them see her as simply higher up on the food chain than they are. Her only real friend is Viper, and she feels that she's failing him, because she can't find him a mate. Her brother's a complete stranger, as is her sister, and she feels that she's failed them as well," Darius said. Every word felt like a physical blow. How had Darius known? She had thought her feelings hidden.

"It's hardly our fault!" Quin protested, "She won't talk to us! I barely know more about her than the first day she came here! And it's not for lack of trying! She deliberately has remained a complete enigma to everyone. All I know is that she has a bad past, and that only from her scars!"

"Did you ever consider that perhaps she doesn't share it because it would place us in danger? I wonder if maybe she was part of some gang?" Darius mused.

"I was thinking that she was some sort of fighter? She behaves like it," Quin said, "Or maybe some sort of adventurer?"

They lapsed into silence, thinking of possibilities. Cat sat there, frozen. She didn't want them to know, her frozen brain slowly realized, yet she expected them to understand her. It wasn't really fair to them. Perhaps...

"Have you noticed the way she looks at Zebura?" Quin asked.

"Whaat? Zebura? You're kidding. I figured she'd go for Coco. Or maybe Sani?" Darius said.

Laughing, Quin replied, "Coco has the whole enigma thing going for him too. But he's pretty distant. Cat doesn't understand emotions. She needs someone who wears their hearts on their sleeves. And Sani's way too obsessed with himself to care about anyone else."

Darius grunted, and said, "I'm not sure I like that idea. Zebura's too rough. Cat's like... A flower doesn't seem right, she's simultaneously the strongest person I know and the most fragile. It's like she fixed something with glue that should have been fixed with flame."

"I know what you mean," Quin agreed, "But I can tell you he looks at her the same way. It's like they're looking at each other at different times, so they never notice each other's interest."

Darius chuckled in the back of his throat, and Cat heard a rustle of fabric. "You mean like the two of us, for the last year?"

What on earth? It hit her like a tree to the face. Darius and Quin?! She was honestly shocked. Those two were like black and white, night and day. But... She could see it, in a way.

Standing up, she resolved herself and knocked on the door twice before opening it. Darius and Quin both shot to their feet, shock written on their faces. They were holding hands and cuddled together before she entered, and so Quin was blushing.

"C-Cat!" Quin squeaked, reading in Cat's face that she had heard their conversation. On the other side of the room, the bear stirred. Cat gestured for them to follow her, and turned and exited the room, headed towards the meeting room. Darius and Quin followed, sticking close to each other. Cat could smell their fear, and their worry. She took a seat, not behind her desk, but in the cluster for guests. Darius and Quin seated themselves as well, close to each other, and Darius took Quin's hand. Cat wondered how long this'd been going on.

Chewing on her lower lip, she thought about what to say. Quin interrupted her thoughts, saying, "So, what are you going to do to us?"

"What are you talking about?" Cat asked, confused.

"Well, aren't we in trouble?" Quin asked, now equally confused.

"Of course not," Cat replied, "But I did eavesdrop on your conversation, and for that I need to apologize. However, you also made me realize something. I haven't told you two, nor anyone else here, my story. And I should have. So, once again, I am sorry. I kept my personal life secret, and so you guys believe that I do not trust you, and instead try to guess at my life. I must apologize for this as well. Therefore, I will now tell you most of it, in abbreviated form." And so she did. She told them almost the same story as she had her brother and sister, and it felt right. She should have told them a while ago, she realized. It was easier the second time, perhaps because telling her siblings had made her more comfortable with it. Quin and Darius looked alternately shocked, angry, and sorrowful as the tale wore on. Finally, late into the night, she finished speaking and looked down at her hands. Perhaps they had the right to know, but that would not make their reactions easier to accept.

Quin and Darius remained silent for a long time. Quin was the first to move, slowly rising to her feet from her seat. Cat tensed her shoulders in anticipation of words of abhorrence and disgust, bracing herself. Quin came slowly up to her, and knelt in front of Cat, surprising her by taking her hands. Looking up, she was amazed and confusedto see tears in Quin's eyes.

"How did you keep all of that to yourself all of these years?" Quin cried, "How'd you stay silent when we tried to reach out to you? You didn't want us to know? Did you think we would reject you?"

Darius rose to his feet and crossed the space between them, and hugged Cat. Gasping, she looked to him. Were his eyes brighter than usual as well? She felt tears coming to her own eyes, and stubbornly tried to blink them away. They weren't going to condemn her? "But... I'm a murderer," she whispered, voice breaking, "How can you not hate me?"

"Oh, Cat! Don't call yourself that! You had no other choice!" Quin said, looking her in the eye.

Cat stood up abruptly and walked behind her desk to face the window. Not... her fault? Was that possibly true? Could other, unmarked humans view her that way? If she was honest with herself, she didn't know what to think. It would take a while to work her way through her past, and she had been trying to ignore it for too long. Strangely, her heart really did feel lighter, as though telling her story had taken a weight off her shoulders.

Darius and Quin came to stand at her side, and she said, "Thank you for listening, and for trying to understand. It wasn't that I did not want to tell you, but rather that I thought it would be easier to try and fit in before i revealed more." With that, Cat left the room, much more uncertain than when she had entered it.

Vee: I'm going to start writing Ari's story, but i'm not going to post it until Cat's story is done. Expect another update by the end of the week. Oh, and in case you wanted to know, my mom's a raging, bipolar FUCKING BITCH. And I don't understand other human beings. I think I'm an alien. Thank you for listening. Reviews are much appreciated, and following the story even more so! Thanks for reading.


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